Content

 Introduction  FMS Layout Configurations

 Definition  Progressive or line type
 Objectives of an FMS  Loop type
 Subsystems / Basic Components of FMS  Ladder type
 FMC v/s FMS  Open-field type
 Types of FMS  Robot-centered cell type
 FMS Workstations  Factors Influencing the FMS Layouts
 Material Handling & Storage System  FMS v/s Other Manufacturing Systems

 Advantages of FMS

 Disadvantages of FMS

 Applications of FMS
 Introduction
 In the middle of 1960s, market competition became more intense. During

1960 to 1970 cost was the primary concern. Later quality became the priority.
As the market became more and more complex, speed of delivery became
something customer also needed.
 A new strategy was formulated (Customizability). The companies have to

adapt to the environment in which they operate, to be more flexible in their

operations and to satisfy different market segments. Thus the innovation of
FMS became related to the effort of gaining competitive advantage.
 The buzzword for today’s manufacturer is “agility”. An agile manufacturer is

the one who is the fastest to the market, operates with the lowest total cost
and has the greatest ability to “delight” its customers. FMS is simply one way
that manufacturers are able to achieve this agility.
 Definition
 A flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is a highly automated GT machine cell

consisting of a group of processing workstations (usually CNC machine

tools), interconnected by an automated material handling and storage
system, and controlled by a distributed computer system.
 The reason the FMS is called ‘flexible’ is that it is capable of processing a variety of

different part styles simultaneously at the various workstations, and the mix of part
styles and quantities of production can be adapted in reaction to changing demand
patterns. The FMS is most suited for the mid-variety, mid-volume production range.
 Objectives of an FMS
 To reduce labour costs, production cost , inventory cost.

 To utilize all the production equipment.

 To reduce piece pert unit costs.

 To increase Technical Performance:

 Increased production levels
 Greater product mixture
 Simultaneous product mixture manufacturing
 Integration of the production system into the factory’s logistical system
 Smaller batch sizes
 Shorter or zero change over or reset of times

 To improve Order Development:

 Shorter lead times/delivery times
 Determination of production capacities

 To assist future Corporate Security:

 Increased Competitiveness
 Increased Quality
 Improved Company Image
 Subsystems / Basic Components Of FMS
 The basic components of FMS are:

 Workstations: In present day application these workstations are typically CNC machine tools
that perform machining operation on families of parts. FMSs are being designed with other type
of processing equipment including machining centres, load & unload stations, inspection
stations, assembly works, forging stations and sheet metal presses etc.
 Automated Material Handling and Storage system: The various automated material
handling systems are used to transport work parts and subassembly parts between the processing
stations, sometimes incorporating storage into function. The various functions of automated
material handling and storage system are: random and independent movement of work parts
between workstations, handling of a variety of work part configurations, temporary storage,
convenient access for loading and unloading of work parts, compatible with computer control
 Computer Control System: It is used to coordinate the activities of the processing stations and
the material handling system in the FMS. The various functions of computer control system are:
control of each work station, distribution of control instruction to work station, production
control, traffic control, shuttle control, work handling system and monitoring, system
performance monitoring and reporting
 FMC v/s FMS
 There is no clear dividing line in between Flexible Manufacturing Cell (FMC) and Flexible

Manufacturing System (FMS).

 The term ‘Flexible Manufacturing Cell’ means either manually controlled or automated

machines, or combinations of the two which may or may not include automated material
handling, and it may or may not be computer controlled.
 The term ‘Flexible Manufacturing System’ generally means a fully automated system consisting

of automated workstations, automated materials handling, and computer control.

 There is an another point of distinction made between FMC and FMS on the basis of the

number of machines in the grouping. A grouping of three or fewer machines is known as a

CELL whereas a grouping of four machines or above is treated as a SYSTEM.
 The commonality between FMC and FMS is that they both rely on a GT approach in their

design.
 Types of FMS
 The different types of FMS are:

 Sequential FMS: It manufactures one-piece part batch type and then planning and

preparation is held out for the next piece part batch type to be manufactured. It operates
like a small batch flexible transfer line.
 Random FMS: It manufactures some random mix of piece part types at any single time.

 Dedicated FMS: It continually manufactures, for prolonged periods, the same, but a

limited mix of piece part batch types.

 Engineered FMS: It manufactures the same mix of part types throughout its lifetime.

 Modular FMS: A modular FMS, with a sophisticated FMS host, enables and FMS user to

expand their FMS capabilities in a stepwise fashion into any of the previous four cases of
FMS.
 FMS Workstations
 The following machines are used as FMS workstations:

 Machining Centers: The CNC machining centers can be employed as a component of an

FMS. It possesses various features like automatic tool changing & tool storage, use of
palletized workparts, capacity for DNC, which makes it compatible with the FMS.
 Head Changers: Head changer is a special machine tool with the capacity to change tool

heads for specialized machining operations where multiple tool cuts are required on the
workparts. It can be used as a processing station in an FMS.
 Head Indexers: It is similar to the head changer except that the tool heads are larger in

size. Instead of exchanging the tool heads to and from storage, the heads are attached
semi-permanently to an indexing mechanism on the machine tool. In that way, they can be
rotated into position to perform the simultaneous machining operation on the part.
 Milling modules: Special milling machine modules can be used to achieve higher

production levels than a machining center. For drilling (and similar operations such as
reaming, tapping, etc.), a head changer or head indexer is often appropriate for maximizing
the production rates.
 FMS Workstations
 Turning Modules: The turning module for an FMS must be designed in such a way that the single-

point cutting tool should rotate around the workpart. It is because of the workparts which are hold
in a pallet fixture throughout processing on the FMS.

 Assembly Workstations: To avoid assembly errors and human interference in assembly, flexible

automated assembly systems are being developed. Industrial robots are usually considered to be
most appropriate as the automated workstations in these flexible assembly systems.

 Inspection Stations: Inspection can be incorporated into a flexible manufacturing system, either

by including an inspection operation at a given workstation, or by designating a specific station for

inspection. Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) is the best example of automated inspection in
FMS.

 Sheet metal processing machines: The flexible system concept is being adapted to the sheet

metal fabrication processes. The processing stations consists of press-working operations such as
punching, shearing and certain bending and forming processes.

 Forging Stations: Flexible systems are being developed to automate the forging process. The

workstation mainly consists of the heating furnace, the forging press, and a trimming station.
 Material Handling & Storage System
 Material handling & storage system is second major component of an FMS system. It

should perform the following functions in an FMS:

 Random, independent movement of workparts between workstations

 Handle a variety of workpart configurations

 Temporary storage

 Convenient access for loading and unloading workparts

 Compatible with computer control

 FMS Layout Configurations
 Material handling & storage system establishes the FMS layouts. They can be divided

into the following five categories:

 Progressive or line type

 Loop type

 Ladder type

 Open-field type

 Robot-centered cell type

 Progressive or line type
 The machines and handling system are arranged in a line as shown in the figure

below. It is most appropriate for a system in which the part progress from one
workstation to the next in a well defined sequence with no back flow. The operation
of this type of system is very similar to transfer type. Work always flows in
unidirectional path as shown in Figure.
 Progressive or line type
 Routing flexibility can be increased by installing a linear transfer system with bi-

directional flow, as shown in figure below. Here a secondary handling system is

provided at each workstation to separate most of the parts from the primary line.
 Loop type
 The basic loop configuration is as shown in figure. The parts usually flow in one

direction around the loop with the capability to stop and be transferred to any
station. Each station has secondary handling equipment so that part can be brought-
to and transferred-from the station work-head to the material handling loop.
Load/unload stations are usually located at one end of the loop.
 Loop type
 An alternative form is the rectangular layout shown in Figure below. This

arrangement allows for the return of pallets to the starting position in a straight line
arrangement.
 Ladder type
 The ladder configuration is an adaptation of the

loop as shown in the figure below. This consists

of the rungs on which the workstations are
located. The rungs increase the number of
possible ways of getting from one machine to
the next, and obviates the need for a secondary
material handling system. It reduces average
travel distance and minimizes congestion in the
handling system, thereby reducing transport
time between stations.
 Open-field type
 The open-field configuration is also an

adaptation of the loop as shown in the

figure below. This consists of multiple
loops and ladders, and may include
sidings also. This layout is generally
used to process a large family of parts,
although the number of different
machine types may be limited, and
parts are usually routed to different
workstations depending on which one
becomes available first.
 Robot-centered type
 Robot-centered cell is a relatively new

form of flexible system in which one or

more robots are used as the material
handling systems as shown in figure.
 Industrial robots can be equipped with

grippers that make them well suited for

handling of rotational parts.
 Factors Influencing the FMS Layouts
 The various factors influencing the layouts of FMS are:

 Availability of raw material

 Proximity to market

 Transport facilities

 Availability of efficient and cheap labor

 Availability of power, water and fuel

 Atmospheric and climatic condition

 Social and recreation facilities

 Business and economic conditions

FMS v/s Other Manufacturing Systems
 FMS is best suited for applications that involve an

intermediate level of flexibility and low or medium

quantities. The figure shows the different types of
production systems and it can be found out from
the figure that FMS fits into the intermediate range
of production. General purpose machines can
accommodate a large variety of parts. They are
manually operated and therefore production
volumes are low. CNC machines can accommodate
variety, but the production volume is less as the
machines are not optimized for the highest
productivity for a specified type of job. It can be
seen that FMC and FMS satisfy both variety and
volume equally well. If we take special purpose
machines, variety is much restricted. Transfer lines
are dedicated usually to manufacture a component
and hence can be said to have the minimum
variety.
 Advantages of FMS
 Reduced cycle times

 Lower work-in-process (WIP) inventory

 Low direct labour costs

 Ability to change over to different parts quickly

 Improved quality of product (due to consistency)

 Higher utilization of equipment and resources (Utilization better than standalone CNC

machines)
 Quicker response to market changes

 Reduced space requirements

 Ability to optimize loading and throughput of machines

 Expandability for additional processes or added capacity

 Reduced number of tools and machines required

 Motivation for designers to add variations and features to meet customer requirements

 Compatible with CIM

 Disadvantages of FMS
 Limited ability to adapt to changes in product or product mix

 Substantial pre-planning activity

 Expensive, costing millions of dollars

 Technological problems of exact component positioning and precise timing

necessary to process a component

 Sophisticated manufacturing systems
 Applications of FMS
 Although this was initially developed for machining applications, the concept of

FMS has subsequently been used in a variety of other manufacturing applications,

such as:
 Assembly of equipment

 Semiconductor component manufacturing

 Plastic injection moulding

 Sheet metal fabrication

 Welding

 Textile machinery manufacture

 Applications of FMS
 The following
figure shows
the various
applications of
a Flexible
Manufacturing
System:
 References
 CAD/CAM- Mikell P. Groover

 CAD/CAM- Chennakesava R. Alavala

 CAD/CAM-K. LALIT NARAYAN

 Computer Aided Manufacturing- G. Shanmuga Sundar

 CAD CAM CIM- P. Radhakrishnan,S. Subramanyan,V. Raju

 Automation, Productions systems, and computer Integrated

manufacturing – Mikell P. Groover
 CNC Machines- B.S. Pabla

 American Society of Mechanical Engineers

 http://www.toolingu.com/